


macguffin

by AslansCompass



Series: Friends Offline [2]
Category: Valdemar Series - Mercedes Lackey
Genre: Modern AU, mmorpg au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25777825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: Mandy won a customized item for Heralds of Valinor. But there's a catch.(The origins of Need in my mmorpg au)
Series: Friends Offline [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870084
Kudos: 8





	macguffin

> _We are pleased to inform you that you won a "Heralds of Valdemar" customized item in our fundraiser raffle. Please respond with a basic description (fifty words or less) of what effect you would like this item to have, but be aware--all gifts come with price, some you won't expect. Item will be nontransferable once equipped._

Mandy nearly squealed with glee. She hadn't expected to win anything; it was just a donation to a good cause. She'd finally upgraded to a paid account a few months ago, unlocking all regions and quests. Of course, she'd started a few alts just to play with classes and abilities, but the mage Kethry was still her main character. 

What did Kethrys need? Armor? Spell components? No, those were outgrown or consumable. Maybe if she looked at it from another perspective. What was Kethry's biggest limitation?

The skill trees in Heralds forced one to specialize; not only fighter or mage, but different types of magic. The White Winds school that Kethry followed, for example, prohibited drawing magic from pain, death, or coercion. It could be used offensively--very effectively, if one knew the right spells. The biggest advantage, in Mandy's opinion, was that White Winds magic had almost no risk of backfiring on the user. Other classes, such as Karsite demon-summoning, often dealt damage indiscriminately. 

But even Kethry's strongest attack spells or best defenses left her vulnerable to physical attacks. And at this point, her magery wasn't strong enough to join one of the upper-level guilds, where she'd have partners to watch her back.

> Because my character is a mage, I need something that would enable me to hold my own in a physical fight with equal-level characters--or at least last long enough to get away. 
> 
> * * *

some time later

> _Kethry examined the sword from all angles. It looked like a standard rapier (? at least she thought that's what the long, thin ones were called.) Lighter than a broadsword, longer than a dagger, without fancy gems or filigree. Words echoed in her head. "They call me Need/ Aiding women is my creed."_
> 
> _Mage sight revealed even more information. The blade gives its owner martial skill equal to her mage power. This strength comes with responsibility, however. The user must aid women in trouble._

"Required to accept Peril-class quests from female NPCs?" Mandy read the flavor text again. "Ugh!" 

On the other hand....she did need to improve her Perils stats if she ever wanted to join a guild. And it would make for some good background for Kethrys. 


End file.
